Control device, control method, and control program

Abstract

A controller (10) acquires a candidate for the content of countermeasure control for a communication event, transmits the acquired candidate for the content of countermeasure control to a maintenance person's terminal (20a), and receives from the maintenance person's terminal (20a) an instruction of the contents of countermeasure control to be executed from the candidate of the contents of countermeasure control. The controller (10) determines a scenario corresponding to the received contents of countermeasure control, and performs settings for a communication device on the basis of the determined scenario.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device, a control method, and a control program. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, systems have been known that centrally manage resources such as the bandwidth of communication devices that make up a network, the number of configurable filters, and the number of sessions that can be established, and appropriately select communication devices to accommodate users based on the available resources of each communication device, thereby enabling flexible user accommodation while maintaining a constant communication quality for users. In such systems, functional units are divided into processing units, and each functional unit autonomously acquires DB information and executes each input process.

[0003] In addition, in such a system, for example, by creating a scenario and configuration template for the functional unit division and accommodation location determination unit, ease of modification when adding new services or upgrading equipment can be ensured, and the external system linkage unit makes it possible to collect additional resource information and execute communication device control scenarios using external systems (see, for example, non-patent document 1). [Prior art documents] [Non-patent literature]

[0004] [Non-Patent Document 1] Hiroki Iwahashi, Takayuki Fujiwara, Yuta Watanabe, Masayuki Nishiki, "Study on Flexible User Accommodation Methods in Edge Routers", IEICE General Conference, B-6-58, March 2020 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, conventional technologies have the problem that they are unable to properly implement the necessary countermeasures and controls, and therefore are unable to improve network quality.For example, large-scale networks such as telecommunications carrier networks accommodate user communications with different requirements, and since the network requirements differ for each user application, the countermeasures that need to be implemented differ for each network situation, such as failures or congestion.

[0006] For this reason, with conventional technology, it was sometimes impossible to determine what kind of response to take in response to an incident. Also, for example, when implementing more advanced network control in conjunction with programmable switches that cannot be controlled with commercially available router controllers, settings across multiple network devices are required, but with conventional technology, it was sometimes impossible to select a configuration scenario for multiple devices that takes into account the configuration status and implementation order of each network device.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above, and aims to provide a control device, a control method, and a control program that can appropriately carry out the necessary countermeasure control content and improve the quality of the network. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] In order to solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objectives, the control device of the present invention is characterized by having an acquisition unit that acquires candidate content of response control for a communication event, a reception unit that transmits the candidate content of response control acquired by the acquisition unit to a terminal and receives from the terminal an instruction on the content of response control to be executed from the candidate content of response control, a determination unit that determines a scenario corresponding to the content of response control accepted by the reception unit, and a setting unit that configures the communication device based on the scenario determined by the determination unit. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present invention, it is possible to appropriately carry out the necessary countermeasure control and improve the quality of the network. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a controller according to this embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of the process of recommending a countermeasure control pattern by the controller. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an outline of the countermeasure control process performed by the controller. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an outline of the countermeasure control process performed by the controller. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an outline of the countermeasure control process performed by the controller. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure performed by the controller. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the problems encountered in the conventional technology. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the problems of the conventional technology. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating the effect of the controller of this embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a computer that executes a program. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG.

[0012] [Controller configuration] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a control controller according to this embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 1, a communication system including a control controller (control device) 10 according to this embodiment includes the control controller 10, a host system 20 including a terminal 20a of a communication system maintainer, a detection and analysis system 30, a PE (Provider Edge) router 40, a programmable switch 50, a router controller 60, and a programmable switch controller 70. The configuration illustrated in FIG. 1 is merely an example, and the specific configuration and the number of devices are not particularly limited. Regarding the network configuration illustrated in FIG. 1, each device may communicate via any communication network, whether wired or wireless, such as the Internet, a LAN, or a VPN (Virtual Private Network).

[0013] In the communication system of this embodiment, the control controller 10 automatically generates and executes settings for each communication device (each PE router, programmable switch, etc.) by registering a scenario for which communication device settings should be applied depending on the response control pattern to be implemented.

[0014] Furthermore, the control controller 10 presents candidate patterns of countermeasure control to be implemented in the form of recommendations to the terminal 20a of the maintenance person of the upper system 20. Note that the countermeasure control patterns are calculated based on a plurality of different policies in the detection and analysis system 30 or the like, and are provided to the control controller 10.

[0015] The controller 10 also stores the device type and setting order as well as the setting contents as scenarios to be stored. The controller 10 also stores the accommodation of each device in the logical aspect, checks the setting status of the device when determining the accommodation position, and has the function of excluding the set contents of the selected scenario.

[0016] The control controller (control device) 10 of this embodiment includes a host system support unit (reception unit) 11, a control content management unit (acquisition unit) 12, an analysis result DB 12a, an external system cooperation unit 13, a resource collection unit 14, a resource management and accommodation position determination DB 14a, a resource management and accommodation position determination unit (determination unit) 15, a configuration input request management DB 15a, a function controller 16, and device setting units (setting units) 17a to 17c. When the device setting units 17a to 17c are not particularly distinguished from one another, they will be referred to as device setting unit 17.

[0017] The host system support unit 11 communicates wirelessly or wired with the host system 20. For example, the host system support unit 11 transmits candidate response control contents acquired by the control content management unit 12 to the maintenance operator's terminal 20a, and receives instructions on the response control contents to be executed from the candidate response control contents from the terminal 20a.

[0018] The control content management unit 12 acquires candidate content of response control for a communication event. For example, when the control content management unit 12 receives content of a communication event from the maintenance operator's terminal 20a, the control content management unit 12 requests the detection and analysis system 30, which is an external system, to calculate response control for the content of the communication event, and acquires candidate content of response control from the detection and analysis system 30. Note that the control content management unit 12 may calculate response control itself without requesting the detection and analysis system 30 to calculate response control, and derive candidate content of response control.

[0019] The control content management unit 12 communicates with the detection and analysis system 30 via the external system cooperation unit 13. The external system cooperation unit 13 communicates with the detection and analysis system 30 wirelessly or via a wired connection.

[0020] The resource collection unit 14 periodically collects information about the resources of each communication device and stores it in the resource management and accommodation location determination DB 14 a. For example, the resource collection unit 14 collects information about the resources of the communication devices, such as the usage status of the CPU and memory of each PE router 40 and programmable switch 50.

[0021] The resource management and accommodation location determination unit 15 determines a scenario corresponding to the content of the response control received by the host system support unit 11. For example, the resource management and accommodation location determination unit 15 determines a scenario in which the setting content, the type of device to be set, and the setting order are specified in advance as the scenario corresponding to the content of the response control received by the host system support unit 11. Then, the resource management and accommodation location determination unit 15 stores the setting content and accommodation location included in the scenario in the configuration input request management DB 15a.

[0022] Furthermore, for example, the resource management and accommodation location determination unit 15 determines, according to the resource status of each device, which communication device to configure among the communication devices corresponding to the device type to be configured as specified in the determined scenario. Also, for example, if any of the configuration contents specified in the determined scenario have already been configured, the resource management and accommodation location determination unit 15 excludes the configuration contents from the scenario.

[0023] The function unit controller 16 selects a device setting unit 17 to execute the setting from among the plurality of device setting units 17a to 17c, and instructs the selected device setting unit 17 to execute the setting. The device setting unit 17 executes the setting for the communication device based on the scenario determined by the resource management and accommodation position determination unit 15.

[0024] For example, the device setting unit 17 reads the setting contents and the accommodation location stored in the configuration entry request management DB 15a, selects a command template, and generates a command list based on the setting contents and the accommodation location using the selected command template.

[0025] Here, an outline of the process of recommending a countermeasure control pattern by the control controller will be explained using Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an outline of the process of recommending a countermeasure control pattern by the control controller. As shown in Fig. 2, the maintenance person's terminal 20a receives a report about a network fault from the terminal 80 of user A, and notifies the control content management unit 12 of the control controller 10 of a request to perform analysis. Note that the request to perform analysis may specify a user ID or an algorithm name.

[0026] The control content management unit 12 notifies the detection and analysis system 30 of a request to calculate response controls via the external system cooperation unit 13. The detection and analysis system 30 calculates multiple response controls using multiple different optimization algorithms, and replies to the control content management unit 12 via the external system cooperation unit 13 with a response control pattern including the multiple response controls.

[0027] The control content management unit 12 registers the received response control pattern in the analysis result DB 12a. Then, the control content management unit 12 references the data stored in the analysis result DB 12a and requests the host system support unit 11 to recommend a response control candidate pattern to be implemented. The host system support unit 11 then notifies the maintenance person's terminal 20a of the recommended response control candidate pattern to be implemented. Upon receiving the recommended response control candidate pattern to be implemented, the terminal 20a displays the response control candidate pattern to be implemented, allowing the maintenance person to consider which response control pattern to execute.

[0028] Next, the countermeasure control process performed by the controller 10 after the maintenance person selects which countermeasure control pattern to execute will be described with reference to Figs. 3 to 5. As illustrated in Fig. 3, when the maintenance person selects which countermeasure control pattern to execute, the terminal 20a notifies the control content management unit 12 via the upper system support unit 11 of a request to execute the selected countermeasure control (control #1 in the example of Fig. 3). The control content management unit 12 then refers to the analysis result DB, confirms the control content, and requests the resource management and accommodation position determination unit 15 to execute the control.

[0029] The resource management and accommodation location determination unit 15 selects a scenario corresponding to the control content. For example, in the example of Fig. 3, the classification of the response control content of control #1 is "priority control (APL unit)", so the resource management and accommodation location determination unit 15 selects a scenario that performs priority control on an application unit basis as the corresponding scenario. Note that the scenario is set in advance for each classification of response control content, and the setting content, setting device, and setting order are specified.

[0030] The resource management and accommodation location determination unit 15 refers to the resource management and accommodation location determination DB 14a and checks the accommodation information, setting presence / absence information, and resource status of the setting destination device. Here, for example, the resource management and accommodation location determination unit 15 may determine the communication device to be configured based on the resource status. Furthermore, the resource management and accommodation location determination unit 15 determines whether any content has already been set in the scenario based on the accommodation information and setting presence / absence information, and if any content has already been set in the scenario, it excludes it from the scenario. Then, the resource management and accommodation location determination unit 15 writes the accommodation content, accommodation location, etc. into the configuration input request management DB 15a according to the scenario.

[0031] 4, the device setting unit 17 reads the setting contents and the accommodation location stored in the configuration entry request management DB 15a, selects a command template, and generates a command list based on the setting contents and the accommodation location using the selected command template. Then, the device setting unit 17 executes the setting of the communication device based on the command list.

[0032] Here, a setting example for priority control of only specific applications in an MPLS (Multi-Protocol Label Switching) VPN (Virtual Private Network) network will be described using the example of Fig. 5. To perform priority control of only specific applications, the PE routers 40a and 40b transfer packets to the programmable switches 50a and 50b using static / PBR (Policy Based Routing) or the like at the granularity of users to be given priority. After identification by the programmable switches 50a and 50b, the PE routers 40a and 40b perform identifiable ID conversion (VLAN-ID, etc.) and determine the destination at the PE routers 40a and 40b.

[0033] When this control is implemented, the settings for each communication device are as follows. Note that the setting contents and setting order are merely examples and are not limited to these. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the control controller 10 creates a priority control VPN for the PE routers 40a and 40b on the start and end sides. Then, the control controller 10 performs application identification settings and control settings for the programmable switches 50a and 50b. Then, the control controller 10 performs pull-in settings for the programmable switches for the PE routers 40a and 40b.

[0034] By configuring in this way, priority control for specific applications only can be achieved by having the PE routers 40a and 40b transfer traffic to the programmable switches 50a and 50b using static / PBR (Policy Based Routing) or other methods at the granularity of users who wish to be given priority.

[0035] [Controller processing procedure] Next, an example of the processing procedure executed by the controller 10 will be described with reference to Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the processing procedure executed by the controller 10.

[0036] 6, the control content management unit 12 of the control controller 10 receives a request from the terminal 20a via the upper system support unit 11 to confirm the recommended content (request to perform analysis) (step S101).Then, the control content management unit 12 receives a response control pattern from the detection and analysis system 30 and registers it in the analysis result DB 12a (step S102).

[0037] The control content management unit 12 of the control controller 10 presents a recommendation to the maintenance person by notifying the maintenance person's terminal 20a of candidate countermeasure control patterns via the upper system support unit 11 (step S103). Then, the control content management unit 12 determines whether or not to implement countermeasure control (step S104). That is, the control content management unit 12 determines whether or not a request to execute the recommended countermeasure control has been received from the maintenance person's terminal 20a. As a result, if the control content management unit 12 determines that countermeasure control will not be executed (No in step S104), it simply ends the processing. For example, if the control content management unit 12 does not receive a request to execute the recommended countermeasure control from the maintenance person's terminal 20a within a predetermined time, it determines that countermeasure control will not be executed.

[0038] Furthermore, when the control content management unit 12 determines that countermeasure control should be performed (Yes at step S104), it refers to each DB such as the analysis result DB to confirm the control content and the setting destination device (step S105). Here, for example, since the classification of the countermeasure control content of control #1 is "priority control (per APL)", the resource management and accommodation position determination unit 15 selects a scenario that performs priority control per application as the corresponding scenario.

[0039] Then, the resource management and accommodation location determination unit 15 determines whether or not a scenario has been set (step S106). As a result, if a scenario has been set (step S106: Yes), the resource management and accommodation location determination unit 15 excludes the set scenario (step S107) and proceeds to the processing of step S108.

[0040] If there is no configured scenario (No at step S106), the resource management and accommodation location determination unit 15 registers the accommodation contents, accommodation location, etc. in the configuration input request management DB 15a (step S108).Then, the device setting unit 17 reads the configuration contents and accommodation location, executes the settings for each communication device (step S109), and ends the process when the settings are completed (step S110).

[0041] [Effects of the embodiment] In this manner, the control controller 10 according to the embodiment acquires candidate countermeasure control contents for a communication event, transmits the acquired candidate countermeasure control contents to the maintenance operator's terminal 20a, and receives instructions on the countermeasure control contents to be executed from the maintenance operator's terminal 20a. The control controller 10 then determines a scenario corresponding to the received countermeasure control contents and configures the communication device based on the determined scenario. As a result, the control controller 10 can appropriately execute the countermeasure control contents to be executed, thereby improving the quality of the network.

[0042] That is, the control controller 10 allows the maintenance person to arbitrarily select the countermeasure control to be executed at their discretion. Also, the control controller 10 not only makes the work of the maintenance person more efficient by automating the setting input of the countermeasure control, but also improves the quality of the network by shortening the time until the control is implemented.

[0043] Here, we will explain the problems with the conventional technology using Figures 7 and 8. Figures 7 and 8 are diagrams that explain the problems with the conventional technology. As shown in Figure 7, conventionally, large-scale networks such as carrier networks accommodate user communications with different requirements, and since the network requirements differ for each user application, the response control content to be implemented in the event of a network failure or congestion differs for each. With conventional technology, it was not possible to determine what response to take in response to an event that occurred.

[0044] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 8, when implementing more advanced network control in conjunction with programmable switches that cannot be controlled by commercially available router controllers, configuration across multiple network devices is required. However, conventional technology was unable to select a configuration scenario for multiple devices that took into account the configuration status and implementation order of each network device.

[0045] The increasing diversity of applications running on networks has raised expectations for application-aware networking. To address these issues, administrators want to provide higher quality and value-added network services by controlling packets of specific users / applications depending on network conditions such as failures and congestion, as shown in the example in Figure 9.

[0046] As illustrated in FIG. 9, when a user reports a network fault or the like to a maintenance person's terminal 20a, the control controller 10 requests the detection and analysis system 30 to calculate a countermeasure control (see (1) in FIG. 9). The detection and analysis system 30 then collects network information, analyzes the cause, and identifies a countermeasure control (see (2) in FIG. 9). For example, the detection and analysis system 30 derives multiple countermeasure controls using multiple different optimization algorithms and notifies the control controller 10. The control controller 10 then presents multiple candidate countermeasure controls to the maintenance person's terminal 20a, allowing the maintenance person to select the countermeasure control to be executed. The maintenance person's terminal 20a then accepts the selection of the countermeasure control to be executed from the presented multiple candidate countermeasure controls, and sends a request for a countermeasure to the control controller 10.

[0047] The controller 10 then executes the countermeasure control according to a preset scenario corresponding to the countermeasure control, which scenario specifies the setting contents, the device type to be set, and the setting order. This allows the controller 10 to care for users affected by network failures, etc. With this configuration, the controller 10 allows the maintenance personnel to arbitrarily select the countermeasure control to be executed at their discretion. Furthermore, the controller 10 automates the setting input of the countermeasure control, thereby not only improving the efficiency of the maintenance personnel's work but also shortening the time until implementation, thereby improving the quality of the network.

[0048] [System configuration, etc.] The components of each device shown in the drawings according to the above embodiments are conceptual functional units and do not necessarily have to be physically configured as shown. In other words, the specific form of distribution and integration of each device is not limited to that shown, and all or part of each device can be functionally or physically distributed and integrated in any unit depending on various loads, usage conditions, etc. Furthermore, all or any part of the processing functions performed by each device can be realized by a CPU and a program analyzed and executed by the CPU, or can be realized as hardware using wired logic.

[0049] Furthermore, among the processes described in the above embodiments, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or all or part of the processes described as being performed manually can be performed automatically using a known method.In addition, the information including the processing procedures, control procedures, specific names, various data and parameters shown in the above documents and drawings can be changed as desired unless otherwise specified.

[0050] 〔program〕 It is also possible to create a program written in a computer-executable language that executes the processes executed by the controller 10 described in the above embodiment. In this case, the same effects as those of the above embodiment can be obtained by having a computer execute the program. Furthermore, such a program may be recorded on a computer-readable recording medium, and the program recorded on the recording medium may be read and executed by a computer to realize the same processes as those of the above embodiment.

[0051] 10 is a diagram showing a computer that executes a program. As shown in the example of FIG. 10, a computer 1000 includes, for example, a memory 1010, a CPU 1020, a hard disk drive interface 1030, a disk drive interface 1040, a serial port interface 1050, a video adapter 1060, and a network interface 1070, and these components are connected by a bus 1080.

[0052] As shown in FIG. 10, the memory 1010 includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 1011 and a RAM 1012. The ROM 1011 stores a boot program such as a BIOS (Basic Input Output System). The hard disk drive interface 1030 is connected to a hard disk drive 1090 as shown in FIG. 10. The disk drive interface 1040 is connected to a disk drive 1100 as shown in FIG. 10. A removable storage medium such as a magnetic disk or optical disk is inserted into the disk drive 1100. The serial port interface 1050 is connected to a mouse 1110 and a keyboard 1120 as shown in FIG. 10. The video adapter 1060 is connected to a display 1130 as shown in FIG. 10.

[0053] 10, the hard disk drive 1090 stores, for example, an OS 1091, an application program 1092, a program module 1093, and program data 1094. That is, the above programs are stored, for example, on the hard disk drive 1090 as program modules in which instructions to be executed by the computer 1000 are written.

[0054] The various data described in the above embodiment are stored as program data, for example, in the memory 1010 or the hard disk drive 1090. The CPU 1020 then reads the program module 1093 and the program data 1094 stored in the memory 1010 or the hard disk drive 1090 into the RAM 1012 as needed, and executes various processing procedures.

[0055] Note that the program module 1093 and program data 1094 related to the program are not limited to being stored in the hard disk drive 1090, and may be stored in, for example, a removable storage medium and read by the CPU 1020 via a disk drive or the like. Alternatively, the program module 1093 and program data 1094 related to the program may be stored in another computer connected via a network (such as a LAN (Local Area Network) or WAN (Wide Area Network)) and read by the CPU 1020 via the network interface 1070.

[0056] Although the present invention has been described above as an embodiment, the present invention is not limited to the description and drawings that form part of the disclosure of the present invention. In other words, other embodiments, examples, and operational techniques that can be made by those skilled in the art based on the present invention are all included in the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0057] 10 Controller 11 Upper system support section 12 Control Content Management Unit 12a Analysis result DB 13 External System Integration Department 14 Resource Collection Department 14a Resource management and location determination DB 15 Resource Management and Location Determination Department 15a Configuration input request management DB 16 Functional Controller 17a~17c Device setting section

Claims

1. An acquisition unit that acquires candidate content of response control for communication events in a large-scale network that accommodates user communications with different requirements; a reception unit that transmits the candidate response control details acquired by the acquisition unit to a terminal and receives from the terminal an instruction on the response control details to be executed from the candidate response control details; a decision unit that decides a scenario corresponding to the content of the response control accepted by the acceptance unit; a setting unit that uses a command template to generate a command list based on the scenario determined by the determination unit, and performs setting on the communication device based on the command list; A control device comprising:

2. The control device according to claim 1, characterized in that the determination unit determines a scenario in which the setting content, the type of device to be set, and the setting order are pre-defined as a scenario corresponding to the content of the response control received by the reception unit.

3. The control device described in claim 2, characterized in that the determination unit determines which communication device to configure among the communication devices corresponding to the device type to be configured specified in the determined scenario, based on the resource status of each communication device.

4. The control device according to claim 2, wherein the determination unit, if any of the setting contents defined in the determined scenario have already been set, excludes the setting contents from the scenario.

5. The control device described in claim 1, characterized in that when the acquisition unit receives the content of a communication event from the terminal, it requests an external system to calculate a response control for the content of the communication event, and acquires candidate response control content from the external system.

6. A control method executed by a control device, comprising: an acquisition step of acquiring candidates for response control contents for communication events in a large-scale network accommodating user communications with different requirements; a receiving step of transmitting the candidate response control details acquired in the acquiring step to a terminal and receiving from the terminal an instruction on the response control details to be executed from the candidate response control details; a determination step of determining a scenario corresponding to the content of the countermeasure control accepted by the acceptance step; a setting step of generating a command list based on the scenario determined in the determining step using a command template and setting the communication device based on the command list; A control method comprising:

7. An acquisition step of acquiring candidates for response control content for communication events in a large-scale network accommodating user communications with different requirements; a receiving step of transmitting the candidate response control details acquired in the acquiring step to a terminal and receiving from the terminal an instruction on the response control details to be executed from the candidate response control details; a determination step of determining a scenario corresponding to the content of the countermeasure control received in the reception step; a setting step of generating a command list based on the scenario determined by the determining step using a command template and setting the communication device based on the command list; A control program that causes a computer to execute the above.

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